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Dreadnoughtus
The WWI ship type "Dreadnought" got its name because Dreadnoughts were supposed to not fear any other ship. The only dreadnought still in existence is the USS Texas, launched on May 18, 1912. However, Dreadnoughts were regard like Aircraft carriers are today. And that is where Dreadnoughtus got its name in 2014. It probably is fair to say that Dreadnoughtus had to fear no other dinosaur. The specimen (which appears to be a sub adult) is surprisingly complete, so scientists estimate it weighed close to 60 tonnes. However, it is only a sub adult, and the true size of an adult Dreadnoughtus cannot be certainly told as of right now. Dreadnoughtus schrani lived in Prehistoric Patagonia during the Late Cretaceous. Argentina was probably the proving ground of the greatest dinosaurs of all time, and Dreadnoughtus was one of them. Predators like Mapusaurus and Giganotosaurus did exist, but they hunted in areas where another colossal titanosaur called Argentinosaurus lived. Argentinosaurus may have been even bigger than Dreadnoughtus, because it grew to about 110 tonnes. Dreadnoughtus between the Campanian and Maastrichtian periods of the Cretaceous (84-66 MYA) so it probably died out during the KT extinction at the end of the Cretaceous. At 12 times the size of an African Elephant, Dreadnoughtus was huge. However, it has been suggested that the bones of Dreadnoughtus were just those of a large Argentinosaurus. However, the Dreadnoughtus was exceedingly complete. 45 percent of it was found! It does not appear to be the same thing as Argentinosaurus, although they are also found Southern Patagonia. A lot of huge dinosaurs have little remaining. This is only logical, because the larger the animal the more likely it is to be whisked to pieces by scavengers and the weather once it dies. However, Dreadnoughtus was most likely a totally different Genus than Argentinosaurus. Dreadnoughtus fossils are considerably newer than Argentinosaurus in the fossil record. Puertasaurus could also not be the same thing as Argentinosaurus because it lived at the very end of the Cretaceous. The super complete specimen probably makes it possible to 'correctly judge' the weight, as 70 percent of the animal can be reconstructed. However, it must be noted that the entire specimen is post cranial, and that nearly none of the neck was found. Still, these parts would not contribute much to the overall weight of the animal. The reason why the Dreadnoughtus was so complete may be that the specimen was taken away in a flood. However, the bones do suggest that a large carnivore attacked them before it fossilized. This could have been an act of scavenging. Dreadnoughtus is most known for being the "largest dinosaur ever". This is not necessarily true, as Argentinosaurus was almost as large or larger. Several other huge sauropods and titanosaurs suggest that Dreadnoughtus probably was not the largest dinosaur of all time. In fact, one of the paleontologists in charge of the Dreadnoughtus operation said in a You Tube video that "Dreadnoughtus is really pushing the limits." He did NOT specifically state that it was the very largest. However, it is true that Dreadnoughtus is the largest dinosaur that can have an accurate size estimate. Despite the 45 percent total completeness, and 70 percent post cranial completeness, some have commented on how they believe that the reports of the specimen weighing 60 tonnes cannot be true. However, these accusations look very false based on the sheer size of Dreadnoughtus. It is not known how heavy titanosaur meat was. If it was lighter, than the entire animal would be close to the ultra extreme conservative estimates of between 35 and 40 tonnes. However, the flesh most likely had some mass and weighed closer to the more scientific estimates of 59 metric tonnes. Trivia * Dreadnoughtus was heavier than a Boeing 747. * Dreadnoughtus was discovered in 2014 * While 45 percent of the actual animal is complete, remains in less ideal condition make up for 70 percent of the animal. * That being said, the entire specimen is post cranial, while almost none of the neck was recovered. * Dreadnoughtus weighed around 60 tonnes * This large mass estimate has been criticized by some and it was downsized to between 35 and 40 tonnes Category:Cretaceous Category:Mesozoic Category:Herbivore Category:Dinosaur Category:South America Category:Patagonia Category:Terrestrial Category:Titanosaur Category:Sauropod/Titanosaur Category:Dinosaurs from south america Category:Chordata Category:Extremely Massive Titanosaur Category:Argentina Category:Top Ten List Featured! Category:Reptile Category:Extremely Massive Sauropod/Titanosaur